Opferngeist
by zabeth0322
Summary: The Triwizard Tournament was already thrown out of sorts with the addition of a fourth school, Sleepy Hollow Academy, but when Harry's name comes out of the cup, he's sure he is in for a crazy fourth year, especially with the air of intrigue surrounding the underage and unwilling American champion. Mild AU. No Pairings.
1. The Five Champions

Author's Note: This story is something I've been working on, on and off, for a number of years. There really isn't a reason why I decided to do it, but I've built up a good backstory for each of the new characters that will appear and I've tried to put a lot of thought into this story and how it should flow. I know generally speaking what will happen, but currently I have only written through Chapter 8 which will complete the Second Task. We will start right off the bat at the champion selection ceremony. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!

~zabeth

* * *

The slightly scorched slip of parchment flew into Dumbledore's waiting hand. "And Sleepy Hollow Academy's Champion is… Eliana Lucas!"

A flurry of whispers spread through the SHA students. All eyes turned to her, but she just sat there staring at the wooden table as though all life had been drained out of her. Like an empty shell, she was motionless, not responding to her friend Sam's nudges for her to move. The young SHA Charms Professor, Jacob Lucas, swiftly made his way through the benches to the girl. His touch made her eyes flutter as she become alert of her surroundings.

Hisses and boos rose up from the rows of Hogwarts students that realized Elle could not be over the age limit. She walked quickly down the aisle, averting her gaze from all the hateful glares. Sam sat; a simple look of concern evident on his face as he bit his lower lip to refrain from lashing out at a particularly vocal student next to him. Professor Lucas walked stiffly behind Elle, a hand held out in front of him as if to prevent any escape attempts she may try.

As she disappeared through the same door as Cedric, Krum, and Delacour had, Harry and the remaining students returned their attention to Dumbledore as he raised his hands for silence.

"It seems that we have our four champions. I am sure that I can count upon all of you, including our foreign friends, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very…" He trailed as a fifth crimson flame spiraled out of the Goblet. The murmurs and whispers returned. A grim look on his face, Dumbledore unfolded the parchment. After a long pause, Dumbledore cleared his throat and read aloud -

"Harry Potter…" The Hall erupted with chatter and Hermione, with Ron adopting a dark look, pushed up Harry. He quickly marched down the row, head directed down at his feet much like Elle's had been.

In the room behind the Great Hall, the accusations and insults flew. Crouch and the other School Headmasters attacked Harry severely, three of the other four champions looking him over suspiciously. Dumbledore seemed to simply watch with grave fascination, gears shifting so quickly in his mind that no one could possibly hope to comprehend. Elle stood in a corner, nodding to whatever lecture she was receiving from Professor Lucas and her old, yet vivacious Headmaster, Professor Sjo. Harry watched her out of the corner of his eye, wondering why her reaction had been negative, unlike that of the other three champions. Just about to change the focus of his attention, he saw her head snap up, an utterly distraught look on her features.

"NO! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" she screamed at her Headmaster. Her eyes widened with anger or fear, Harry could not tell. All eyes turned to her during her sudden outburst. The color had drained from her face, her brow was furrowed and her breathing was labored. "YOU CAN'T JUST—"

She was cut off by a quick muffling charm by Professor Lucas, who also appeared aghast and irate. Steered out of the room, she looked positively mortified and infuriated at the same time. An unruffled Sjo and a silently fuming Lucas nodded to Dumbledore, suggesting that the meeting for the champions be the following morning before breakfast. It was agreed to and the SHA contingent left the room. Soon everyone had dissipated and Harry said 'no, I didn't put my name in the cup' once more before he was allowed to leave under the stern gazes of McGonagall and Moody.


	2. The Weighing of the Wands

Author's note: This is mostly filler for I guess secretarial reasons, but there are a few important points in this chapter involving Elle, so it had to be written, but was too long to include elsewhere. Enjoy!

~zabeth

The next morning, the Great Hall hosted not only new guests, but also many emotions. Happiness abounded at the Hufflepuff table, excluding the half of SHA sitting quietly. Durmstrang was also hushed, but it was a smug sort of silence. The Slytherins sitting with them held unabashed contempt, glaring at any non-Slytherin (not that they did not glare at their own, or stop glaring ever anyways). The Ravenclaws were simply calm, discussing books and not taking any particular side, decidedly neutral. Beauxbatons sat with the Ravenclaws, a kaleidoscope of calm, happy, and angry. Gryffindor was undecided, happy to have a champion, but not happy that it was Harry, who was underage. The second half of SHA sat along with them as quiet as the first half.

Harry and Hermione had taken seats close to Elle and Sam as the meeting prior to breakfast had placed the two reluctant champions close together. Ron was still avoiding Harry and Hermione out of spite and jealousy and thus had chosen to sit on the clear opposite end of the table. Sam had his arm around Elle, telling her something in hushed tones that Harry could not make out. Her eyes were red and puffy and her breathing seemed uncomfortable. Harry glanced up at the Head Table and saw that Lucas was looking down at the girl with unconcealed worry. Sleepy Hollow's headmaster's look of disapproval seemed to be the only thing barring him from running down to the Gryffindor Table.

Glancing at the other professors, he saw each Headmaster discussing, intensely and quietly, about something, mostly likely the tournament. It was the first time ever he felt suffocated and claustrophobic in the Great Hall. It was then that Dumbledore stood, raising his hands for silence.

"Dear students and guests, as you surely remember last night and our champions; I would like to make a small announcement. All champions named at the ceremony are to be accepted and are final. The Goblet of Fire is a binding contract of Ancient Magic that cannot be taken lightly. Therefore, instead of four champions, we will have five. While I am on that topic, the Sleepy Hollow Academy Champion, Ms. Lucas, although only fifteen, is allowed to compete given that the school she attends starts teaching magic at a much earlier age. Consequently, she has the same amount of knowledge that a Hogwarts 7th Year should know. Please enjoy breakfast, and continue as you were." He sat and everyone returned to his or her activities (glaring, reading, or being merry or confused).

The weighing of the wands came all too soon, as Harry was dragged out of Potions class, much to Snape's displeasure. The room had an elliptical table where Fleur, Krum, Cedric and Elle sat, waiting. Each Headmaster was there, standing behind their respective candidate. Harry sat down in the seat next to Cedric and Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder in a brief moment, an attempt at comfort. Harry's eyes washed over the room as Ollivander began to explain what was to happen. Fleur simply sat and paid the wand maker her full attention, a slight smile gracing her beautiful face. Krum watched the proceedings stonily whilst Cedric sat, interested and attentive. Elle, however, had sunk back into her chair, seeming to pretend not to exist. Professor Lucas was not present.

Ollivander weighed each of their wands in turn, mentioning interesting tidbits and measurements. Elle's wand, however, caught Mr. Ollivander's, and Harry's, attention more so than even Fleur's vela hair wand. He twirled it experimentally in his hands.

"This wand… it isn't yours…" he murmured, captivated. Elle gazed at him with guarded gray-green eyes.

"It is mine. I promise you that." Her reply was cautious and she raised an eyebrow, challenging him to repeat his insinuation.

"Hm… Curious… What is its magical element?" Ollivander was positively intrigued by her retort.

"It has none, sir," she replied, biting her lip.

"A wand needs to have an element! Even one as unusual as Ms. Delacour's hair!"

"I'm sorry; sir, but I can't tell you what it is. I was given that wand and that's that." Her tone of finality jolted Ollivander back to the task at hand. He sighed and stifled his curiosity.

"Lucas… Your family makes wands, correct?"

"Yes, but only for our own."

"So I take it you cannot divulge the element because it would be a trade secret, so to speak?" He gave her an escape.

"…yes. I will admit to knowing the element, but it is a private matter."

"Private? Very well." He raised the wand and flicked it once, then twice, a little harder - a sparkling blue shower rained down on the table, shimmering away silver. "It passes."


	3. The Hebridean Ridgeback

Author's note: This chapter is entirely dedicated to the First Task. It's longer because it has a few clues about the Lucases and it is a fun action scene! Hope you enjoy it.

~zabeth

And so, the time came for the First Task. Elle sat on a bench in the corner, wearing a navy windbreaker with gray cuffs and an attached gray hood over a white shirt and navy pants. The jacket had the SHA crest emblazoned on the back in its colors of navy, white, and silver. Her calm exterior was unaffected by the pacing and muttering of some of the other champions, a sharp contrast to her past displays of fear and anger. Her gray-green gaze held with the wall opposite of her and she appeared to have accepted her role as champion.

As Rita Skeeter came and went, Elle gave her a hard glare obviously peeved by the reporter's presence. Skeeter must have noticed, for on her way out, she looked pointedly at Elle and said, "Don't think I don't know about you and your skeletons. Theyare_ quite_ _delectable_ stories." Elle went rigid at the word 'skeletons', remaining so until the five were called over to pick their dragons and she had to shake herself out of it.

Delacour picked out the Welsh Green. Krum got the Chinese Fireball. Diggory got a Swedish Short-snout. Elle picked a Hebridean Black, numbered five. Harry, knowing what was next, came out with a Hungarian Horntail.

After their objective was described and the first champion had departed, the tension grew. Diggory resumed his pacing and Krum stood at attention waiting his turn. Elle and Harry both sat on the benches knowing they would have to wait the longest. Harry surreptitiously watched as Professor Lucas walked over to Elle and kneeled in front of her.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll manage, Jay." She smiled lightly, trying to reassure him. He quirked the corner of his mouth upward in response, not quite managing a smile that would reach his dark gray eyes.

"Don't listen to Sjo. This is no different than the last time he… 'asked' and there won't be any changes."

"I know he has good intentions. Sjo just… has a funny way of showing it." Lucas let out a dry laugh.

"Funny way of showing it, huh? It seems more like borderline abuse if you ask me."

"Well, it's good no one was asking then." Jacob Lucas's eyes suddenly became hard.

"Eliana… you could always forfeit…" Now it was Elle's turn to give a firm look.

"No. I won't give up, not so long as blood runs through my veins. If I did… if I did, then _he_ would never forgive me. This is for them." Jay sighed, running a hand through his short, messy dark hair.

"You're right, as usual. He probably wouldn't… Are you sure, then?" He received no reply and proceeded to flick her lightly on the nose. "Alright, then I'll leave you to it. Promise me you won't get too banged up?"

"You are seriously the weirdest brother I believe anyone has ever had. What kind of support is that?" Elle looked amused and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"That, my charming little sister, is the same type of support you would get from Derek."

She stilled at the name mentioned and nodded. Jay reached down and brushed a stray dark chocolate colored lock out of her face. She suddenly lunged forward and trapped him in a bruising hug.

"If I didn't like you alive so much, I'd hug you to death," she muttered. He chuckled, pulling away to look her in the eyes. Gray met gray-green and a silent message expressed.

"Knock 'em dead, baby. Do us proud."

Elle grinned conspiratorially at her elder brother. "They won't know what hit 'em."

As Harry stepped out onto the pitch, he clearly heard one Oliver Wood yelling, "Ye'd better win, Potter! I cannae take the sigh' o' me beautiful Quidditch Pitch being like this! Lose an' I'll ne'er forgive ye!" Imagine his surprise when Harry did complete his objective _and_ used his flying skills. Harry smiled weakly at the "Brilliant! Absolutely bloody brilliant!" he heard afterwards coming from the Quidditch fanatic before he fell into a dead faint onto a group of third years in front of him.

Harry then sat back to watch Elle's turn, taking a seat next to Cedric Diggory, who looked slightly singed with orange paste over half his face. They quietly congratulated each other, grinning, and turned back to the pitch when Bagman began announcing again.

"And finally, we have our last champion, representing the American school of Sleepy Hollow Academy and facing the Hebridean Black dragon, Ms. Elle Lucas!"

Elle entered the arena, wand at the ready and crouching lower to the ground as she carefully paced closer to the beast. It was female, nearly 30 feet in length and covered in glossy black scales. Its spine had a dark ridge that followed from the base of its skull to the tip of its spiked tail. Its leathery wings unfurled menacingly at the crowd that was roaring in both excitement and fear.

Taking a shaky breath as she eyed the dragon, she raised her wand and tapped it to her left shoulder. Pointing it at another corner of the arena, she murmured and the air warped around a boulder. In a flurry of blue sparks, the boulder exploded and a firework dragon took shape, rising into the air with a flap of fiery wings. The real dragon watched it carefully, screeching at it in anger. A large lick of flames ejected from its jaws, neatly melting several nearby rocks. The spark dragon simply seemed to grow with the addition of flames and took flight, drawing pale blue circles of shimmering smoke in the overcast sky.

With the Hebridean's attention diverted, Elle gently crept up the rock face towards the nest. Her wand rose to her eye level as she neared the top. She tapped the top of her head roughly with the tip of her wand. Slowly, she began to fade away and blend with her surroundings. Nothing was seen for a few minutes until a Quaffle-sized rock lifted into the air and transformed into an egg. The real golden egg flew out of the nest softly and landed in the (supposedly) open hands of Elle.

"WHY, I DO BELIEVE LUCAS HAS OBTAINED THE EGG!" Bagman sounded, shifting everyone's attention to the floating golden egg.

Unfortunately, the Hebridean grew tired of watching and snarling at the spark dragon. She had seen the flying egg. Her barbed tail slammed down on the small plateau and caused Elle to lose focus as she tried to maintain her footing. Her loss only grew as the lack of concentration dissolved her Disillusionment Charm. She spared a glance up at the beast before breaking into a full sprint for the side of the upland. Tearing over the edge, she skidded down the rock face leaning at an angle to keep herself upright instead of on her back or face. The dragon's quick head followed as she hit the ground running, stumbling only as she changed direction. Elle pointed her wand over her shoulder at her conjured firework creation and it swooped down from its artistic aerial endeavors. It blocked the path of the true dragon, absorbed numerous fiery breaths and kept it at bay until the dragon keepers could contain it.

"A FANCY BIT OF TRANSFIGURATION AND CHARM WORK AND ELLE LUCAS HAS ACHIEVED HER OBJECTIVE IN ONLY TWENTY-ONE MINUTES!" Bagman cried. Clutching the egg tight to her chest, she doubled over, panting hard. Her legs gave out and she plopped to the ground rather ungracefully as her firework dragon burst into a shower of sparks and boulder dust.

By the end of the scoring ceremony, Elle tied with Diggory in second place.

"How do you feel having _nearly_ outsmarted a vicious dragon?" When Elle refused to comment to the acid reporter, Sam replied for her cheekily.

"She feels like she's had all her hopes and dreams stabbed onto a pike and slowly roasted over a bonfire produced by said dragon."


	4. A Business Transaction

Author's note: This is again a filler chapter, but it helps with character development and following in the general plot line of the story. I also kind of like the idea of… well, you'll see. You get to see a bit of Elle's personality (hopefully) here.

~zabeth

Elle walked down the corridor towards the Great Hall, hoping to find her best friend saving her a seat for breakfast. She rubbed at her eyelids, trying to erase the sleep that, while so scarce during the night, now threatened to take hold. The large doors to the morning feast were in view, but suddenly disappeared as she found herself face to shoulders with two identical boys.

"Elle Lucas, right?" The one on the right said.

"We wanted to ask you a question," said the other.

"I'm Gred-" "And I'm Forge-" "more commonly known as the Weasley twins."

"Right… What was your question? I was on my way to breakfast…" She tried to ignore the slight feeling of vertigo as the rapid-fire twins flanked her.

"Ah, well then we'll just have to explain on the way!"

"We couldn't let a charming girl walk to breakfast all on her lonesome!"

Harry looked up as the twins entered the Hall with the American champion squeezed between them. Strangely, it was she who was talking while the two Gryffindors listened intently. They started to get close when Sam got up from his seat to catch up with her.

"Take your seats, everyone. Settle down." Dumbledore's voice rose up from the Head Table. Sam ended up sitting between Hermione and George as Elle was still in between the twins. "I have an announcement to make. The Yule Ball is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament, though Triwizard is no longer an apt name. It is an opportunity for us to socialize with our new friends and guests, strengthening the bonds we are forming between our cultures. The ball will be open to only students of fourth year and above, though you may invite a younger student if you wish." Feminine giggles twittered throughout the hall but were quelled by a stern look from McGonagall. "Dress robes will be worn and the ball will start at 8 o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight in the Great Hall. I hope everyone will see the Yule Ball as a chance for us all to let our hair down, as the saying goes. Professor McGonagall?"

McGonagall stood briskly and the remaining giggles stopped. "This does NOT mean, however, that we will be relaxing the standard of behavior we expect from Hogwarts students and our guests. I will be most seriously displeased if anyone embarrasses their school in any way. The champions must each choose a dance partner as it is tradition for the champions and their partners to open the ball."

When she finished, the Hall was silent. Soon however, a flurry of whispers and chatter about the upcoming party were unleashed. Dumbledore stood once again and with a wave of his hand, breakfast began.

Ron immediately began stuffing his face with food and Hermione shook her head in disgust. Sam, who was sitting across from Ron, had a look of stupefied amazement on his face until a bit of stray egg hit him in the face. Elle snickered between the twins who leaned over towards their brother. Sam shot her a look behind George's back, wiping the yellow mush off his cheek and she just stuck her tongue out.

"Ronnikins, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?" George asked.

"No, he's off delivering a letter. Why?"

"Because George wants to invite him to the ball," said Fred, sarcastically.

"Because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat," said George.

"Who d'you two keep writing to, eh?" said Ron.

"Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you and you can have a lovely time trying to get dates," said Fred, waving his wand at Ron threateningly over the plate of pancakes.

"Speaking of, have you lot given any thought to who you're going with for the ball yet?" George supplied, pushing Fred's wand away from his face and he resettled in his seat. Elle just rolled her eyes and shot a glance at Sam, who nodded and continued to eat.

"Nope," answered Ron. "We only just found out!"

"Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone," Fred stage-whispered.

"Who are you going with, then?"

"Angelina," said Fred promptly.

"And Alicia," George instantly followed. Ron spluttered and asked them how they already had dates.

"Good point," they chorused. "Oi! Angelina! Alicia! Want to come to the ball with us?" The girls gave them an appraising sort of look and nodded, turning to each other with grins on their faces. "Piece of cake."

The twins got up and announced their intentions to use a school owl before leaning down to give Elle a peck on each cheek accompanied by two identical cheeky grins and a "Thank you!" Elle blushed as Sam and Hermione raised an eyebrow each.

Ron then decided it was time to make a poorly timed announcement about how he did not want to attend the ball with a troll. Needless to say, Hermione left in a huff, leaving Ron confused and Harry tired. Elle and Sam seemed quite amused, however. Sam leaned in towards Elle as breakfast came to a close.

"Those twins?"

"What do you think?" she smiled lightly.

"Fireworks?" It wasn't really a question.

"Yup." Elle grinned and Sam snorted as he walked out of the Great Hall with her.


	5. Of Snowballs and Yule Balls

Author's note: More filler/character development as well as some background on SHA! Also a snowball fight. My only problem I had writing this, was wanting to have Hermione and Elle get ready for the ball together, so let's just pretend that they're in a more public bathroom than the Gryffindor Common Room's bathroom.

~zabeth

In the end, despite some disastrous attempts, Harry and Ron managed to find dates with the Patil twins and the Yule Ball arrived on schedule. The Weasley twins were up to their elbows in business and George had confided in Harry that they were working on something new and exciting. He had started to mention Elle, but Fred dragged him away, saying that they had to prepare for the ball.

Harry walked down to the foyer where he'd promised to meet up with his dorm mates for a snowball fight. The previous evening had blanketed the Hogwarts campus in fluffy white powder good enough to pack. When he reached the front doors, he saw Sam pulling Elle towards it.

"C'mon, you can't spend Christmas Day inside! You've been either working on that egg or sitting in the owlery all month!" He tugged her further while simultaneously throwing a black and gray knit cap with tassels at her. "Even Jay thinks you should take a break."

She shoved the cap on and it was clear it was a little too big for her; the ends of her hair stuck out awkwardly at the bottom. She huffed.

"Fine, but only because SHA was in Arizona this year and it is so stinking hot and dry all the time."

Sam laughed as he walked through the doors. "Not all of us are privileged enough to be from snow states like you, Ms. Nor'easter."

Elle's mouth twitched up at this. She crossed out into the snow and noticed Harry just behind them. "Hey Harry, what are you up to?"

He shrugged and mentioned the snowball fight that was about to get underway with his year. Seeing Sam's eyes light up, he invited the two SHA students along.

"So what did you mean by this year? For the Academy, I mean…" Harry asked.

"Well, the US is a big place with a lot of people, so it gets kind of hard to keep a big group of kids, magical or not, in one place without getting noticed or Confounding everyone in the vicinity," Sam started.

"So, every year, Sleepy Hollow changes its location at random. The past couple years, we've ended up in the Southwest US for some reason. Apparently, because there's more open spaces there, it is easier to hide such a big school," Elle explained. By the time they were done talking, the three had come upon the group of Gryffindors already engaged in snow-warfare. A few other Hogwarts students came up and joined the fray, separating Elle and Sam to opposite teams.

Magic slung snowballs and built up forts as all of the students tried using Warming Charms on themselves and their teammates to keep the cold at bay for one more round. A particularly clever Hermione used a Levitating Charm on an embankment of powder and released it just as Ron and Seamus rounded the corner of her fort. Neville ended up on the receiving end of some Hufflepuffs' snowballs, thrown Muggle style. Sam and Elle ended up throwing fistfuls of packed ice at each other after slipping down the side of a slope and forgetting their wands. Harry landed a solid hit on Dean and the sky was beginning to fade, indicating that it was probably time to go in.

Hermione got up and dusted herself off as best she could, though some snow had refrozen into the fabric of her jacket. "I think it's probably time for us all to head in and get cleaned up."

Elle looked up from the snow angel she was making as Hermione walked past where she, Sam and Neville had ended up sprawled across the lawn. "Hermione, are you getting ready for the Ball this early?" Hermione flushed and indicated affirmatively. She was not sure how long it would take to get ready for such an event. "Do you mind if I come with you? I'm pretty crappy at doing this whole 'girl' thing…"

As the two started to walk back towards the castle, Sam was busting a gut laughing on the ground. At the looks he was receiving from the other boys, he explained.

"'Pretty crappy' is an understatement. She has her brothers' over-protectiveness to thank for that." They all just shrugged and laughed and started in on one last all-or-nothing round.

"Hermione, who are you going to the ball with?" Parvati wheedled. She and Lavender had been trying to figure it out since the first time they heard the resident bookworm had a date that was not Harry or Ron. Lavender scooted in on Hermione's other side to get to the mirror and box the girl in. "He must be something for you to ask us for help with your hair!"

Hermione flushed and tried to weasel her way out from between the two. She was definitely not telling them now. As she let Parvati and Lavender play with the hair-sleeking potion and start to apply it to her scalp, she just sighed, wishing she was anywhere but here, getting ready for a ball. Her sigh was unfortunately interpreted incorrectly by her year mates as they exploded in giggles and started to question in earnest about who her date was, was he handsome, and when did she become so smitten! Thankfully, it was at that moment that Elle stepped into the room.

Immediately, Parvati and Lavender gushed over her robes and Hermione breathed a little easier. She noted that Elle looked mighty uncomfortable and unused to this kind of attention. The American somehow deflected the loquacious girls and got them to go put on their own robes. Once they all but flew to their wardrobes for their gowns, Elle plopped on a seat, Hermione following.

"Are they always like that?"

Hermione shook her head. "We don't really have balls all that often and they've certainly never taken much interest in me and my social life."

"I was never all that girly to begin with, and even Carolyn wasn't. She took an interest in clothes and her appearance, but she still doesn't seem like that!" Elle said as she shook her hands through her hair and pulled it up haphazardly before tying it with an elastic band. "Your hair does look great, you know."

"Thanks. Why isn't your friend here? Does she go to SHA?" Hermione got out her own elastic and pulled up her hair, which was slowly starting to curl again. Annoyed that not even a potion could keep her hair straight, she huffed and accepted that it would be tamed curls for the night.

"Yeah, she does. She couldn't come partially because she's down with dragon pox at the moment and partially because the age limit for this trip was 16."

"Are you and Sam 16? I thought you were only a year up from me, Harry, and Ron?"

"Well, I am 15. However, my headmaster brought me along because of my brother." She looked resigned. "It's only because of Jay that Sam was allowed to come with us. He probably could have gotten Carolyn with us if not for her being ill."

"Do professors normally have that much sway with their superiors in America?" Hermione's brow furrowed. Elle turned to her and looked momentarily confused.

"I wasn't talking about Jay—"

Lavender and Parvati burst in the room twirling their robes around. They exclaimed that it was probably time to head down to the Great Hall and suggested Hermione and Elle do the same before sweeping out.

"Hermione, who is your date really?" Elle asked as Hermione shrugged her periwinkle robes on over the dress to match. Hermione bit her lip before replying.

"Krum."

Elle raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she moved towards the door.

"Well, you'd better come with me to meet up with the champions before the ball begins. Sam is probably wandering around aimlessly right now."


	6. A Season for Family

Author's note: Yule Ball and some more background is revealed about Elle, Jacob and Sam as well as the mysterious Derek.

~zabeth

Harry entered the Hall, Parvati on his arm and was surprised to see Krum's periwinkle-robed date to be Hermione, a large upset to Krum's fan club and to Ron. Elle had come with Sam and wore a robe with a white bodice and sleeves that faded into the navy color of her school. At her waist, the dress was navy and fell in large pleats of silk, dotted with silver. Her dark brown hair pulled back in chaos. Harry noticed that Professor Lucas's tie was the same color as Elle's skirt, silver markings included. Harry felt like a show dog being put through its paces with Parvati leading him into the hall and through the first dance.

Once the first dance was over, he quickly left the floor, bumping into Elle and Sam on the way.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No problem, Harry. Maybe I could have a dance later?" Elle asked. Harry nodded and left, noticing that Hermione was still in the arms of Krum, trying to teach him how to correctly say her name. She grinned at Harry and he moved to the table where Ron sat in a sour mood with a possibly even sourer Padma. When they sat, the twins were almost immediately asked for a dance, and neither Ron nor Harry objected. They didn't return. Just as Hermione came to sit down, Elle stopped by and extended a hand to Harry.

"Come on, you promised! Don't worry; I'll have him back in a snap!" Elle said, trying to ignore the tension that was starting to build and the dark cloud that loomed over Ron. As Harry started to dance (thankfully this was much more casual than the opening dance), he gazed back at the table where his two best friends were having a heated discussion. Harry thought he caught the words "fraternizing with the enemy" before Hermione stood, mouth agape. Then it looked like they really started to dig into each other. "Looks like I pulled you out just in time, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry about them."

"It's alright, Harry. Not your fault, I bet. My friend Carolyn, who has dragon pox right now, and my brother used to get into it all the time."

"Professor Lucas?" Harry turned more of his attention to his partner. She chuckled lightly, but did not meet his eyes.

"No. My other brother, Derek. He… couldn't make it to the Tournament this year."

"Oh, that's too bad. Is he a lot like you? With the transfiguration skills and everything, I mean."

"Well, yeah, of course. We share a birthday and everything. Though, he is better at potions…"

"Twins?"

"Yeah, but... Oh, it looks like maybe you should go referee their match…" And it was true, Ron and Hermione were now both standing and in each other's faces. Harry gave Elle an apologetic look before hurrying over to their table. By the time he reached them, Ron had come to the conclusion that he'd heard enough of whatever Hermione had been saying and stormed off. Hermione was still seething and turned her icy glare on Harry when he turned to open his mouth. Instead of saying anything, he just stalked after Ron to find out what had happened.

"That doesn't look good." Jay had come up next to Elle who had been left on the edge of the dance floor.

"No, it doesn't. I hope I didn't make things worse by taking Harry away," Elle said as they watched Hermione stomp halfway to the refreshment table before turning tail and leaving the Hall.

"Where's Sam?"

Elle waved her hand vaguely. "Oh, I sent him off after the first little while. There were some cute Hogwarts girls he wanted to meet. Said the British accent was _fascinating_."

"Ah, so I can steal my sister for a dance?" He didn't wait for an answer and twirled the girl around. "You look like mom. Well, your hair does, anyway; you know, when she used to be doing potions work and it would be sticking up everywhere…" he trailed.

"Hmm, I didn't notice… is that bad?" she looked a little bit lost. Jay just tightened his grip on her hands and pressed his lips together. "How's Derek?"

"Sjo hasn't told me anything and I can't seem to get post from this St. Mungo's place Sjo brought him to."

"I think I need to lie down. Maybe I can…" she looked towards the archway of the Great Hall, rubbing her left shoulder.

"I know what you want to do and I would recommend against it. Last time you tried, I almost couldn't wake you up."

"But-"

"No but's, Eliana!" She stopped cold. She looked up at his face and saw pain written clearly there, no hiding behind his professor mask. "I can't let you. You know I can't do this alone."

Now she looked to her feet, shuffling beneath the curtain of fabric to the beat they had stopped listening to. Jay ended their rotations and made her look up.

"We will get through this and he will be back. You have to believe in him."

"I do. I always will, but… it's been two years, Jacob. Two whole years without Derek, and it hurts."

Jacob pulled Eliana close. "I know."


	7. In Preparation

Author's note: Second Task prep. Some more pieces to the puzzle! Elle gets a tad sassy and there's Neville.

~zabeth

* * *

After taking the advice of Diggory, Harry has the next clue in hand as he meets with Hermione in the library for the nth time that month. She constantly runs to get more books, leaving Harry to sift through them blearily, not really knowing what to look for or why she even picked them. Across the table, Elle has her own stack of books, having been at the library before Harry and Hermione got there. Oddly though, her books appear to have nothing to do the upcoming task.

Hermione returns and sets down another stack on the edge of the table, completing a veritable wall between her and Harry's side of the table and Elle's. Harry groans and Hermione raps him on the head with some folded parchment, berating him for not being alert to his task. Ron has been avoiding Hermione and has not been to any of their library sessions.

"You know, Hermione, Harry, I already figured out the Second Task, so you don't need to block me out of your research section. If you want me to leave, you can just ask."

"It's not- I don't want you to leave just because we showed up. I just thought you could use some company," Hermione tried. Elle just smiled and tapped the stack of books next to her.

"Got all the company I need right here."

"What are you doing with _Hexed in the Head: Magical Backlash_ exactly?" Harry asked as he leaned over the book-made divider. Elle closed the book and pulled it off to the side out of view.

"I have a passing interest in magical injuries." Harry glanced at a few other titles she had in her stack.

"_394 Ways to Skin a Cat (or Curse a Wizard), Madame Mortima's Magical Maladies Manual, _and _The Almanac of Adverse Ailments_ don't seem like they'd be very good company…" Harry hedged. Elle's jaw set her lips in a firm line, clearly not liking Harry's snooping.

"I'd worry more about your task than what literature I like to read. As it stands, I've figured out what the task is and likely what they've taken from me and you should focus on doing the same." She stood and gathered her books, sending a few flying back to their shelves. Just before she rounded the corner of bookcases that surrounded their table, she turned back to Harry with a serious expression. "You seem to have forgotten that you didn't enter this tournament of your own volition. I know why I'm in this tournament. Perhaps you should figure out who put you in this position and what they could gain from it."

Thoughts swirled around Harry's head as Elle disappeared from view. The question of who put his name into the Goblet had fallen by the wayside with the personal problems between his friends, schoolwork piling up, and the tasks looming overheard. He remembered back to when he was chosen and the adverse reaction to championing her school that Elle had had and the silenced conversation between her and Sjo. There was some piece of the puzzle missing and he couldn't figure out what it was.

Hermione had sorted through the books on the table again in agitation of Elle's abrupt words. Clearly she was still peeved that they had yet to determine the person who had entered Harry into the tournament and was additionally stressed that the Task was but a few days away without an answer to how Harry could survive underwater for an hour finding something he didn't know was taken from him. Piling books that could contain potential answers to the side, she asked Harry again.

"So what was the riddle again?"

* * *

The day of the Second Task arrived with Harry still sitting in the library, bereft of sleep and hope for surviving the day. Neville arrived last night while Harry and Hermione desperately continued their research, telling Hermione that McGonagall wanted to talk to her about a recent assignment she had turned in. She had yet to return, despite promising to be back as soon as she could. Neville had stayed with Harry for a while and seemed thoughtful when Harry explained what he would have to do for the Task and how he had no clue how to do it.

"Hey Harry, come and get some breakfast, the Task will be starting soon." Harry looked up to see Neville again.

"I don't know if I can eat anything; I still have no clue how I can compete today," Harry reluctantly admitted, gathering his things anyway. Neville sent some of the books back to where they belonged and shrugged as Harry finished packing up.

"Well, I did a bit of research myself after talking to you last night and I think I might have a solution," Neville said, albeit, a bit uncertainly.

"Any solution is better than what I've got. Let's grab some breakfast and you can tell me about it," Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Neville had the answer to his lack of gills!


	8. A Boy Underwater

Author's note: Second Task. I bet you know who is in this chapter.

~zabeth

* * *

As it turned out, Neville planned on giving Harry gills.

"You sure this will work, Nev?" Harry held the jelly-like plant in one cupped hand, straining to see if Ron or Hermione were anywhere near the stands erected on the lake.

"Well, there's some debate about salt water versus fresh water and the duration…" Neville's eyes glassed over as he entered his Herbology-ruled mind.

"But at least an hour, right?" Harry was desperate for some reassurance.

"Yeah, I reckon it should be." Neville tried to smile, but was still caught in his thoughts about fauna.

"Great." Harry stepped away from Neville and walked over to the other champions on the dock. Elle glanced at him as he stood next to her.

"Better eat that now, Potter," Moody said and smacked Harry on the back as the taste of the gillyweed made him gag. Harry missed whatever Bagman was saying and fell into the water as the signal to start sounded.

After thrashing underwater and coming to the startling revelation that he actually had gills and webbed appendages, Harry propelled himself forward, eager to find his quarry as soon as possible to avoid running over the time limits of the Task and the gillyweed.

* * *

At the bottom of the Black Lake, Harry found the five 'lost items' and was startled to see that they were the unconscious bodies Ron, Hermione, Cho, a girl whose platinum hair gave her away as Fleur's younger sister, and a boy who looked about his age. The girls' hair floated in halos around their heads and all captives' had sallow skin. Ron and Hermione were wearing their clothes from the previous night, Cho her uniform, the young girl a Beauxbatons uniform, and the boy street clothes. As he scanned the area, he saw beady eyes peering at him between the marine fauna.

As he approached, a school of mermen rushed him in a challenge. They screeched and tried to dissuade him from coming any closer, but Harry fired some jets of sparks at the advancing creatures and they scattered. He could feel them watching, but they made no other attempt to stop him. He reached Ron, who was tied next to Hermione and the boy. He wondered a moment at the dark-haired boy's identity, as he expected that it would be Sam in the water. This boy looked thin and mildly malnourished, with dark circles under his eyes.

As he freed Ron, he saw that Diggory had arrived with a bubble of air wrapped around his face, untying Cho. They nodded to each other and Diggory tapped his wrist, indicating that Harry watch his time. Harry nodded as Diggory pushed off the floor of the Lake and rose with Cho. He moved toward Hermione, intent on freeing his best friend, when a mermaid appeared as fast as liquid silver and twice as deadly and threatened him with the business end of his gnarled spear.

"Take only your own!" Harry didn't get a chance to respond as the near humanoid bolted as a shark headed straight at Harry.

Shockingly, the shark had arms and legs and proceeded to easily cut through the rope binding Hermione and Harry realized that Krum would take care of Hermione. Surely Harry was running out of time; his neck had begun to itch. He had yet to see a sign of Elle or Fleur. A strangled sound of rushing bubbles made Harry turn. Elle had clasped her hands over her mouth, the apparent remnants of her Bubblehead Charm quickly rising above. As she recast the spell, Harry noticed red marks covered her exposed forearms and calves. She propelled herself forward and reached for the face of the boy, not even acknowledging Harry's presence.

She held there a moment staring at his closed eyes and moved his head to press their foreheads together. It was then that Harry realized the boy was none other than Elle's twin brother. She looked over at him and pointed to her wrist and mouthed the word 'late'. Harry grabbed Ron under the arm, but glanced over at the still bound blonde. He pointed in her direction and Elle shook her head, now mouthing the word 'grindylow'. She glanced around and shot a spell at the rope holding the girl to release her before pushing off the sandy ground. Harry grabbed the young girl around the waist and started to kick.

When he could finally see the gray light from the Scottish sky filtering into the water, he began to feel it. A burning in his neck, between his fingers, throughout his feet made him release Ron and the girl who floated as though they were neutrally buoyant. He thrashed about and found himself choking on the cold water of the Black Lake. Using every bit of his determination he willed his vision to stop going blurry and reached for the two human shapes in front of him. His last breath was used to cast a spell to raise him the remaining distance.

The next minute he found himself on the dock, Ron very much awake and helping the girl onto the dock. Hermione and Fleur ran to them with the French girl screeching, "Gabrielle!" Not registering much, he looked around to see the champions and their 'lost items' wrapped up in heavy blankets and the crowd cheering for the results. His bottle green gaze landed on Elle.

She was splayed across the very much unconscious body of the boy she had saved, clearly crying. Had he not awoken from the spell? Had something gone wrong? He saw Jacob Luccot move from his spot kneeling next to the girl and stormed towards where the schools' headmasters sat. Sjo looked very much uninterested in the proceedings. Harry pushed Hermione and the fawning French sisters away and walked closer to the stand.

"How dare you?! You said he would be safe! You promised that-" Jacob started. Sjo cut him off, slamming his hand on the table in front of him.

"The charms were performed by Headmaster Dumbledore; I am certain that young Derek was perfectly safe."

Jacob was not reassured. "He had been in the hospital! He clearly should not have been in such a precarious position. You put both Eliana and Derek at risk needlessly!"

Sjo's tone took on new steel. "You would do well not to step out of the realm of your expertise, Jacob. You are a teacher of charms, not a mediwizard or any type of authority in this tournament."

Jacob stopped, stockstill. He looked like he wanted to say more, but turned on his heel and ran back to where Madam Pomfrey was attempting to pull Elle from her brother's body. Hermione put her hand on Harry's shoulder and turned to him worriedly as Ron came to stand next to him. Elle fell to third place as Diggory and Harry tied for first.


	9. Not Sick, But Not Well

It was so dark here. He didn't really remember how he got to this place, and he didn't know how to get out. In every direction, he saw nothing but an endless field of black. He felt partial, like something of grave importance was missing and he couldn't remember what. He couldn't even remember what color his eyes were. His voice wasn't needed here where there was no one but himself, so he didn't even remember what it sounded like.

What he could remember was a rushing through his veins that left him feeling alive and energized. His whole being had been filled to the brim with a palpable sense of hope and completeness. At the time where this was the strongest, he saw a light. It wasn't very big, but it was strong. He felt compelled to chase after it as if it had called his name. What was his name, anyway?

He had run and run, trying to ignore how quickly he was tiring and how quickly that wonderful feeling was seeping out of his bones. That light faded, though. He had thought that perhaps the light had gotten as tired as he was. He remembered trying desperately to reach out the light, and he watched as the light seemed forcibly removed from his Nowhere Land. It had happened only one other time, much longer ago.

He thought of this now as he saw, for the third time, the light. It was just a small glint, more of a spark or firefly in the night. But it was there, and it called to him with that name he couldn't grasp. It swept right by his face before he could move a muscle and he was reminded of gray-green eyes. His lips cracked and he uttered his first word in a very long time, not knowing why he said it or what it meant, only that it made him feel closer to the light.

"Eliana."

It was storming at Hogwarts and Elle sat on a wide windowsill in the Hospital Wing. Her forehead was pressed to the cool glass and the reflections of the rivulets cascading down the pane's other side slipped down her face. Her welts and abrasions courtesy of the Black Lake's grindylow population had faded, but she had barely left the Wing since the Second Task had reached its conclusion. To her side, a bed was made up around the body of a boy whose dark chocolate colored hair only made the paleness of his face look sicklier. She glanced over at the closed eyelids of the boy, knowing that, should those eyes have opened, she would be greeted with the same set she saw in the mirror every day.

Shuddering, she was pulled back to the moment she dragged her brother's body out of the freezing lake. Her left shoulder ached from the magical and emotional strain of the Task. She didn't even look up as a woolen blanket was thrown over her and a familiar male voice started speaking in her ear. She could feel Jacob clutching her shoulders, pressing desperate kisses in her hair, trying to shake her into responding to him, but all she could do was stare at the boy in front of her.

It didn't matter that she had not seen him for months. It didn't matter that the last time she had seen him, he had been peacefully asleep on a hospital bed. That had been only half as heartbreaking as what she saw before her now. The boy that completed her soul was lying on his back, drenched to the bone, unmoving, with eyes open only by some chance of fate. The murky green was dull without consciousness and made her think of a day where she had previously seen those eyes. The only thing she registered at that moment was the increasing throbbing of her shoulder as everything faded to white noise. The world began to close around her.

His blue-tinged lips expelled the barest of crystalline puffs and as she absorbed that fact greedily, she slowly came back to herself. She leaned forward, clenching her hands into the cold, wet fabric of his shirt. The dam broke. She fell face forward into the boy's chest and began to cry. This was not the kind of cry you have over a skinned knee or some bully's foul words. Her very soul shook as she heaved and struggled to regulate her breathing. She felt sick with anguish, like a piece of her heart was ripping away from her again.

Very vaguely, she recognized the pressure that had been on her shoulders had released. Jacob must have left her. The very thought sent a new rack of tremors through her – he _left_ her! She thought she could hear voices – the announcer with tallies, her brother's yells and subsequent return, a British woman trying and failing to get to the boy. She would never relinquish her hold.

It was only when Jacob forcibly removed her from his brother that the mess of a girl finally collapsed unconscious, reaching for the boy, her boy. Elle did the same now, reaching out to brush her fingers along the boy's hairline, the name "Derek" wafting lightly down and around the infirmary.

Elle rubbed her sore shoulder. Madam Pomfrey had given her permission to stay as long as she liked. Elle recognized her to be the woman's voice she heard at the Task and was grateful. Somehow, the stern mediwitch had convinced or coerced the headmasters that the best course of action was to keep the boy here. He'd obviously not been in any true danger during the Task, but she wanted to keep an eye on him anyway.

Poppy looked at the poor dear sitting next to the boy-who-would-not-wake. She'd tried everything she knew, honestly she had. Nothing would wake the boy up. At first she thought that the charm used on him to keep him unconscious during the trip to the bed of the Black Lake had gone wrong. Naturally, once she had come to the conclusion that the boy was stable, she had confronted the headmaster to ascertain how such a thing could have happened. Before she could reach him, she was taken aside herself, by the SHA Charms Professor.

It was easy to see the resemblance in the Lucas family, even more so when the two conscious members looked so gaunt. Jacob Lucas quickly filled in the missing blank. After the spell wore off, Derek Lucas would not wake because he had never been awake to begin with.

After this shock, Poppy struggled to keep up as the young teacher beseeched her to keep Derek at the castle under her care. He cited that it would make both him and his sister feel more at ease to be able to visit him and that nothing that had been done by any other witch or wizard had helped the young teenager do anything other than stay in his coma for the past two years. Once he was finished making his case, the pair had reached the headmasters' meeting. Poppy knocked on the door and was greeted by her employer. Jacob Lucas had already gone from her side, but Poppy had decided to keep this Derek boy here.

And what Poppy decreed in her capacity as head medical witch for the Triwizard Tournament, Poppy would get.

Sam just could not sit comfortably. He was seated in the Great Hall, dining with the Gryffindors and some fellow SHA students, but he was, for lack of a better word, antsy. It had been a couple days since the Second Task and he was upset by quite a number of things. He knew that he was on this trip abroad for the sole purpose of keeping Eliana Lucas company. He also knew that the boy he had seen her drag from the depths of the lake was none other than Derek Lucas, one fourth of their group of friends that attended SHA.

He had been shell-shocked when Elle had told him what the Task's design was: to instill a fear of loss and for the champion to overcome it. She made the whole thing sound drab, off-handedly commenting that the 'thing you treasure most' would probably be a person. She had also sounded blasé when she mentioned that her brother would be the bait. The thought never occurred to Sam which brother it would be; he'd assumed it would be Jacob, as Jay was not currently hospitalized. Surely, the tournament was not that cruel?  
But no. He gaped as the boy he had grown up with, told secrets to, and teased the feminine half of their little group with was laid flat on his back, unmoving and unable to comfort the girl crying into his neck.

Sam had left immediately after the Task; he couldn't even bring himself to find Elle and tell her… what, exactly? He knew Jay would be with her until she calmed down and there really wasn't much more he could contribute. He had barely said a word to either of the conscious Lucas family members since then.

Twitching again in his seat, he concluded that it had to stop. He could not let Elle wallow in the Infirmary any longer. He would just have to suck it up and help her in whatever way he could and not let his own distress and insecurity bolt him to the floor. Clearing his throat a little, he leaned over towards the Gryffindor fourth years.

"Does anyone know how to get some extra food around here? I'd like to take something over to Elle; I'm almost positive she hasn't eaten since the Task."

Harry nodded from where he had started to get up, holding, oddly enough, a couple pairs of socks. Hermione and Ron were making to follow him as Sam leapt up to follow. These Brits sure were weird.

A/N: Reason why I'm apologizing: I don't have my copy of GoF with me, as it miraculously is the one book that didn't make the moving van. I know where it is, but I don't know when I'll get it. I want to get more in depth with this now that we've broken past the Second Task and the only way to do that faithfully is to have that book on hand. I'll give you this long chapter now as an apology, and I'll be writing again as soon as I can.

As a fun fact, the last little bit where Harry is holding socks is for when he goes to thank Dobby for the gillyweed in the kitchens!

~zabeth


End file.
